The Winter 2025 Reading Group Guide Preview

Dazzling Debuts

Blue Light Hours
By Bruna Dantas Lobato
(Grove Press, Black Cat, 9780802163776, $17, Oct. 15)
“One of the most stunning novels I’ve read this year. The quiet, calm writing makes space for the throbbing emotional core of the book: the relationship between a mother and daughter from Brazil when the daughter leaves for college in New England. Completely unforgettable.”
—Jacob Rogers, Center for Fiction Bookstore, Brooklyn, NY

Company: Stories
By Shannon Sanders
(Graywolf Press, 9781644453179, $17, Nov. 12)
“In Company, we meet several generations of a Black family living in the Baltimore/DC Metro area. Reading Company feels like being let in on the secrets of a large family that they themselves don’t know. An outstanding debut collection.”
—Caitlin Baker, Island Books, Mercer Island, WA

The Crescent Moon Tearoom: A Novel
By Stacy Sivinski
(Atria Books, 9781668058398, $18.99, Oct. 1)
“A story about family love, pursuing your dreams, and letting go, with a splash of romance for one of the triplet sisters. Fun to read, with a few twists and a more complex plot and themes than I expected. Cozy, warm, and perfect for a chilly night by the fire.”
—Lisa O'Brien, O'Brien's Bookshop, Waxahachie, TX

The Ministry of Time: A Novel
By Kaliane Bradley
(Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster, 9781668092651, $18.99, Oct. 22)
“With its vivid characters, heart-in-your-mouth plot, and hilarious and poignant moments, this is a joy to read. There are notes of Connie Willis and R. F. Kuang, but Kaliane Bradley has created something entirely her own and utterly wonderful.”
—Shannon Guinn-Collins, Bookworks, Albuquerque, NM

Rabbit Hole
By Kate Brody
(Soho Crime, 9781641296205, $18.95, Oct. 29)
“Teddy has lost so much; first her sister disappears one night, then her father in an apparent suicide. As she traces the bizarre actions of her father in his last days it becomes a slippery slope, and just like her father, Teddy is plagued by a mania that is certain to rip her life apart.”
—Kristy Creager, Mitzi’s Books, Rapid City, SD

The Teller of Small Fortunes
By Julie Leong
(Ace, 9780593815915, $19, Nov. 5)
“A traveling fortune teller with a painful past meets people on the road that refuse to let her be alone anymore. This book rejuvenated my love for people in pain coming together to help each other heal and choosing to stay together. A book for anyone who wants more worldliness in their cozy fantasy.”
—Jill Rodriguez, Books Are Awesome, Parker, CO

Family & Coming of Age

Family Meal: A Novel
By Bryan Washington
(Riverhead Books, 9780593421109, $18, Oct. 8)
“There are two things I expect from a Bryan Washington narrative: food rendered so exquisitely I could lick the page, and an emotional excavation so expansive it swallows the book and me with it. Family Meal delivered on these expectations and more.”
—Miranda Sanchez, Epilogue: Books Chocolate Brews, Chapel Hill, NC

Hello Beautiful: A Novel
By Ann Napolitano
(Dial Press Trade Paperback, 9780593243756, $18.99, Nov. 19)
“This novel was so beautiful, honest, and heartbreaking. I loved the Padavano sisters — the beating heart of the book — and I appreciated the ties to Little Women without being a retelling. I loved every page. I cannot wait to recommend this book!”
—Greer Williams, Athena Books, Old Greenwich, CT

Martyr!: A Novel
By Kaveh Akbar
(Vintage, 9780593685778, $18, Dec. 31)
“An orphaned Iranian American contemplates a meaningful death while trying to stay sober and forms a tenuous friendship with a terminally ill performance artist. The whole of humanity is in this novel: love, laughter, betrayal, disgust, and the utterly incredible.”
—Laurel Rhame, Phoenix Books, Essex Junction, VT

Welcome Home, Stranger: A Novel
By Kate Christensen
(Harper Perennial, 9780063299719, $17.99, Dec. 3)
“Through Rachel, a woman in midlife who returns to Maine after the death of her difficult mother, Kate Christensen explores the fabric of lived experience in all its chaos, sorrow, strife, and joy. The story itself is a strikingly wise look into modern life and what it takes to carry on.”
—Debra Ginsberg, Camino Books, San Diego, CA

Where the Forest Meets the River
By Shannon Bowring
(Europa Editions, 9798889660439, $18, Sept. 3)
“Returning to Dalton was just as heartwarming as the first book in the series. Getting reacquainted with the town and its people was like visiting old friends. Each character was so human and masterfully portrayed — in love and sorrow and self discovery.”
—Mary McBride, Monstera’s Books, Overland Park, KS

You Only Call When You’re in Trouble: A Novel
By Stephen McCauley
(Holt Paperbacks, 9781250296818, $18.99, Jan. 7, 2025)
“Who doesn’t love a messy family story? In this case, the family is small, but that does not lessen the disfunction they manage or the affection we feel for them as they move forward. Every character in this book — large or small — is a gem.”
—Laura Cummings, White Birch Books, North Conway, NH

Historical Fiction

The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years: A Novel
By Shubnum Khan
(Penguin Books, 9780593653470, $18, Jan. 7, 2025)
“Once a lavish manse, Akbar Manzil has been subdivided into apartments for Indian nationals and the house is not happy. Sana wanders the house, discovering who the original owners were and learns all about their lives.”
—Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser, Marietta, GA

Let Us Descend: A Novel
By Jesmyn Ward
(Scribner, 9781982104504, $17.99, Sept. 3)
“Though Jesmyn Ward tackles the antebellum period in this work, her writing continues to shine and find moments of joy in Black existence. This continues to cement Ward’s place in the canon of Black literature, and her ability to carry the torch that Toni Morrison lit.”
—Leela Chantrelle, Greedy Reads, Baltimore, MD

The MANIAC
By Benjamin Labatut
(Penguin Books, 9780593654491, $18, Oct. 1)
“Benjamin Labatut plumbs the deep well of his intuition and his seemingly infinite capacity for research to shine a light not only on, but from the view of, some of the twentieth century’s most obscure, challenging, and ultimately defining scientific voices.”
—Emerson Sistare, The Toadstool Bookshop, Keene, NH

North Woods: A Novel
By Daniel Mason
(Random House Trade Paperbacks, 9780593597040, $18, Oct. 1)
“Mason utilizes a wide range of tropes, writing styles, and structures to bring us through 200 years of history on a single plot of land, and a house that holds all that history inside it. Each new chapter revealed new layers while connected to the past chapters.”
—Noah Ford, Sherman’s of Topsham, Topsham, ME

Straw Dogs of the Universe: A Novel
By Ye Chun
(Catapult, 9781646222377, $17.95, Oct. 8)
“A harrowing, sweeping story of a Chinese family trying to build a life in late 19th century California/Nevada. These characters are a pulsing reminder that releasing our demons is necessary in order to fully connect with one another. A breathtaking way to be exposed to the history of and after the Chinese Exclusion Act.”
—Julie Ross, Pocket Books Shop, Lancaster, PA

A True Account: Hannah Masury’s Sojourn Amongst the Pyrates, Written by Herself
By Katherine Howe
(Holt Paperbacks, 9781250894212, $17.99, Nov. 19)
“Part pirate adventure, mystery, and treasure hunt, A True Account seamlessly weaves a dual-narrative from two time periods and remains engaging all the way to the end. Readers will be eager to piece together the puzzle of Hannah's’ life alongside Marion.”
—Susan McBeth, Adventures By The Book, San Diego, CA

Other Worlds

An Earthquake Is A Shaking of the Surface of the Earth: A Novel
By Anna Moschovakis
(Soft Skull, 9781593767839, $16.95, Nov. 19)
“Moschovakis’ knack for submerging her narratives fully in the interior is rendered so sharply here. At once a poignant chronic illness novel and a haunting literary eco-dystopia, An Earthquake had its tendrils around me early on, and pulled me deeper into its shadows with each page.”
—Natalie Marlin, Moon Palace Books, Minneapolis, MN

The Free People’s Village
By Sim Kern
(Levine Querido, 9781646144655, $18.99, Sept. 24)
“If you like your cli-fi dystopias with punk-rock party houses, radical leftist vibes, and well-informed social commentary, then this is for you! An alternate history set in a world where Gore won in 2000 and directly tackled climate change…but that didn’t change anything in the entrenched power structures of our world.”
—Tory Hall, Sower Books, Lincoln, NE

The Hurricane Wars: A Novel
By Thea Guanzon
(Harper Voyager, 9780063277250, $19.99, Nov. 5)
“Two rivals wielding opposing elemental magic are forced to unite in this captivating fantasy set in a Southeast Asia-inspired world. The worldbuilding is exceptional, and the story is full of political intrigue and the beginning of a great enemies-to-lovers story!”
—Nicole Ihasz, Northshire Bookstore, Manchester Center, VT

Sorcery and Small Magics (The Wildersongs #1)
By Maiga Doocy
(Orbit, 9780316576758, $19.99, Oct. 15)
“The world is rich and tantalizing. Leo is an excellent POV character and his relationships and motivations are fleshed out and relatable. Grimm is the perfect foil. I tore my hair out at their misunderstandings and felt so thrilled when they communicated clearly. I simply had an excellent time and cannot wait to share this.”
—Amanda White, The Writer’s Block Bookstore, Winter Park, FL

Starter Villain
By John Scalzi
(Tor Books, 9781250879394, $18.99, Oct. 1)
“A fitting companion to Kaiju Preservation Society. Scalzi is delightfully savage in ripping the entitled and wealthy a new one. If Kaiju Preservation Society was a bouncy, catchy pop song, this is a blues story that makes you think: Yeah, that’s how it is.”
—Alex Mcleod, The Haunted Book Shop, Mobile, AL

Sun of Blood and Ruin: A Novel
By Mariely Lares
(Harper Voyager, 9780063254329, $18.99, Oct. 29)
“I’m not sure words can fully express this journey I went through with these characters. This Mesoamerican mythological romance is packed with excitement, lore and emotions. Seriously, this was amazing!”
—Jessica Jones, Browseabout Books, Rehoboth Beach, DE

Thrills & Chills

The Frozen River: A Novel
By Ariel Lawhon
(Vintage, 9780593312070, $18, Nov. 5)
“An engaging historical mystery inspired by diaries written by Martha Ballard in the late 1700s. She, being a midwife, records the births and deaths in her Maine town, as well as other notes on occurrences. You’ll want to fight for justice, and Martha is the heroine to deliver it.”
—Shannon Krug, Serendipity Books, Chelsea, MI

The Mystery Guest: A Maid Novel (Molly the Maid #2)
By Nita Prose
(Ballantine Books, 9780593356203, $18, Dec. 31)
“Molly is back! When an esteemed mystery author drops dead in the tea room — drinking tea from a tea cart Molly helped prepare — suspicions fly. Molly’s eagle eye for detail catches the attention of the lead detective, and she finds herself in the role of investigator.”
—Annie Romano, An Unlikely Story, Plainville, MA

The Reformatory: A Novel
By Tananarive Due
(S&S/Saga Press, 9781982188351, $19.99, Jan. 7, 2025)
“Tananarive Due brilliantly writes equal parts jailbreak and ghost story, both playing by history’s rulebook, pulling no punches along the way. Neither element hinders the other, which is a feat on its own, but to make it edge-of-seat-worthy with an epic showdown to finish is just extra icing on the icing.”
—Ian McCord, Avid Bookshop, Athens, GA

Sundown in San Ojuela
By M. M. Olivas
(Lanternfish Press, 9781941360750, $19, Nov. 19)
“A strange, haunting, brutal study of the intersection between heritage and identity. Liz, a nineteen-year-old clairvoyant, is haunted by memory, and ancestry, and the fragile identity she’s built for herself. Only by facing down the terrors of the night can she come to terms with her past — and future.”
—Charlie Marks, Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, VA

The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan #1)
By Robert Jackson Bennett
(Del Rey, 9781984820716, $20, Nov. 5)
“A murder mystery with world-changing consequences, this Holmes-and-Watson take is smart, strange, completely absorbing, and most importantly has giant monsters. It’s wholly its own reading experience, and I hope Bennett is working on a sequel.”
—Gretchen Treu, A Room Of One’s Own Bookstore, Madison, WI

Where You End: A Novel
By Abbott Kahler
(Holt Paperbacks, 9781250873231, $18.99, Jan. 14, 2025)
“A creepy and addictive blend of thriller and suspense that doesn’t disappoint! What is the truth? This book messes with vulnerability and the fragility of sisterhood and promises of safety. Twisty and twisted. I loved it!”
—Cheri Anderson, The Bookloft, Great Barrington, MA